1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to starting apparatus for internal combustion engines; and more particularly to a starter strip operable to initiate movement of the starter wheel of a small engine.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Present methods and means for starting internal combustion engines, especially small engines used in lawn and power applications, and those designed for model planes and the like, need improvement. The recoil starters and the rope and pulley mechanisms presently used by these devices create a litany of problems. Examples of these problems include missed starts, poor engagements, broken cords and teeth, tangled rope, inconsistent pulls, and kick back.
One of the most troubling problems with such mechanisms is their propensity to break. Starting mechanisms have a high manufacturer return rate and are expensive to repair. Just considering the savings possible from reducing the return rate establishes a need for improvement of such starter mechanisms. Moreover, the present systems are complicated and expensive to manufacture. They require extensive, labor intensive operations and testing as well as added expense in materials for parts of the mechanisms involved. Ropes, pulleys, springs, starter dogs, knotting, handles, and gearing are all expenses that can be reduced if there were a direct starting mechanism.
For small engines the winding, flipping, or other requirements for an electric starting device all point to a need for something simpler, safer, and less expensive. Present starting systems are bulky. They contain design limitations that impede engine cooling or block the flow of cooling air to the engine. As a result, the construction materials utilized by these systems require higher melt temperatures and are heavy and expensive. These limitations tend to reduce engine efficiency and operating life by creating an operating environment wherein the engine encounters higher heat or reduced heat transfer.
Accordingly, there remains a need in the art for an improved starting apparatus for internal combustion engines.